1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a curtain system for hanging up curtains of flat panels, for example of curtain material. Modern living is setting increased demands on curtain systems. With the application of flat curtain systems, thus those with which the curtain material no longer hangs in a serpentine manner, but forms flat elements or panels, more light may get into a room and other optical effects and in particular a modern ambience may be achieved. The curtains indeed not only serve for preventing someone looking into the house from the outside, but also as essentially elements of style which convey warmth and ambience and are to give the impression of a special flair. With rooms which are flooded with light with large window fronts, the curtains are preferably pulled over the whole width of the room. Despite this, such sheet curtains when required may be pushed to the side in order to be able to open a window or seat doors, or very simply in order to clear the view to the outside or to ensure a favourable incidence of light. With the known curtain systems for flat panels one differentiates between those with which the curtain material is fixed in a rectangular frame and those with which the panels of mainly flat pieces of textile hang freely from a carriage which is hung in rail runners of a curtain rail and is displaceable along these. This panel carriage for this is hung and guided with at least two sliders or rollers in a curtain rail, which as a rule is assembled parallel to the window. Since the panels on a single curtain rail, that is to say on a single rail runner, do not cross one another and thus may not overlap one another, but in the most favourable case may be pushed onto one another, as a rule a separate curtain rail or a separate rail run is required and laid for each panel. With a panel width of for example 0.5 metres and a surface width of 3.50 meters to be covered, then at least seven rail runs are required in order to cover this surface at every location with a curtain panel, unless one stacks the panels individually to the left and right of the window which however is disadvantageous. If at one or more locations an overlapping is yet to be achieved, then eight or even more rail runs are required. The assembly of these curtain rails with several rail runs on the one hand is quite strenuous and complicated as indeed is every assembly on the ceiling. On account of the large width, rails with a multitude of rail runs may also create a space problem and rails with many rail runs are accordingly expensive. Furthermore rails with many rail runs on a ceiling look bulky and destroy the simplicity which the sheet curtain system is to irradiate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sheet curtain systems have become known which make do with one rail with only two parallel rail runs. The associated carriages are then hung into the first rail run in the region of the one end at their upper side, and in the region of the other end are hung into the second rail run at their upper side. The known designs however act in a bulky manner since the panels when they are pushed together to one side form a thick stack. If the two curtain rail runs lie relatively close to one another, the individual carriages run at a very acute angle to these and they may be pushed together in an only partly overlapping manner. The carriages of the conventional systems before laying the rails on the ceiling of the room must be introduced into their rail runs and subsequently may no longer be moved out of the rail runs. For this reason the curtains may not be pushed over such a carriage with a hollow seam, otherwise they would no longer be capable of being removed from it for the purpose of washing. The carriages therefore on their one longitudinal side are provided with a Velcro strip to which the curtain material of an associated curtain panel may be pressed by way of a Velcro strip sewed onto the edge of the material. For washing the curtain material, the individual curtain panel material may be torn from the carriage amid the release of the Velcro closure, and after washing may be pressed onto the carriage again. However it has been shown that the Velcro strips after a few washing procedures no longer hang in a firm manner so that the holding force is reduced and the associated curtain panel no longer comes into place in a nice and level manner.
As a whole the existing sheet curtain systems are not completely convincing for various technical reasons. Firstly their assembly is expensive. Secondly these curtain panels act in a bulky manner since the associated carriages due to their design are relatively thick, and the panels form a thick stack, in particular when moving the panels together on one window side, which has a particularly negative effect if the two curtain rail runs are distanced relatively little from one another. Then specifically the individual panels may be pushed together overlapping only in a limited manner. Thirdly the manufacture of these sheet curtain systems is too expensive on account of the expensive design with Velcro strips. Finally the removal of the carriage once assembled is hardly possible with conventional systems without having to disassemble the rail runs.